


Catharsis

by obstinateRixatrix



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen, takes place right after Ryuji's 8th rank
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-11-08 12:30:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11081634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obstinateRixatrix/pseuds/obstinateRixatrix
Summary: Ryuji's got bruises. Yusuke's got questions, and some concerns.





	Catharsis

**Author's Note:**

> Instead of writing the oneshot I was gonna work on, this came out instead b/c of a timely anon ask. Here's some pre-relationship stuff, thanks sis for the beta

Well, he was asking for it. Literally. So Ryuji can’t really complain. Still, the incessant ache of the bruises left by his ex-teammates isn’t fun to deal with. It wouldn’t be as bad if he could hole up in his room, maybe get an ice pack, maybe take a nap, but he’s already running late as is. 

Ryuji kind of wishes he didn’t double-book his afternoon with ‘getting punched in the face’ and ‘beef bowls with Yusuke’. He thinks about cancelling, but… who knows what kind of trouble Yusuke would get into without him around. Probably the kind that involves trying to live entirely off of green onions, if he even decides to eat. Besides, this is probably better than moping alone. It’ll be a pain to explain, but whatever.

The trip feels like it drags on way longer than it should; the attention Ryuji gets on the way is an uncomfortable weight, and even though he’s used to standing out, it kind of pisses him off knowing everyone’s probably writing him off as some thug.

Ryuji makes it, finally, and there’s Yusuke. He’s sitting in the corner and sipping some tea, focused on some art book, looking completely out of place. He should be in a ritzy café, the kind people put on magazine covers, not some noodle shop on the shoddy side of town. But the food here’s good, and it’s cheap, and Yusuke seems to like it well enough.

“Hey,” Ryuji says, sliding into the seat across from Yusuke.

“You’re late,” Yusuke replies, more of a fact than an admonishment. “And hurt,” he adds when he looks up from his book, concern suddenly overtaking his features. “What happened?”

“It’s no big deal.”

Yusuke leans in way too close, cupping Ryuji’s cheek, and shit, that stings. “It seems to be a deal of moderate amount. Who did this to you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ryuji insists, knocking Yusuke’s hand away, trying to put some distance between them. Being on the other end of Yusuke’s focus is always kind of too much. “Look, let’s just order and eat and have a good time, okay?”

Right on cue, a waitress stops by, pen at the ready. “Welcome-“

“Please, give us a moment.” Yusuke interrupts, which is pretty damn rude. He focuses back on Ryuji, and the waitress awkwardly backs away. “I would have a better time if you didn’t keep dodging my questions.” He sighs, a quiet breath of air that just barely qualifies. “I don’t mean to overstep any boundaries, but I’m worried, Ryuji. Seeing you hurt, how could I not be?”

The problem with Yusuke is that he’s just too damn earnest. It’s dangerous, how sincere he always is. “Look,” Ryuji starts, resigning himself to spilling the whole story, “I’m not trying to keep you out of the loop, I didn’t want to get into it because it really isn’t a big deal. I was just… clearing the air with my old teammates.”

“From the track team?” Yusuke asks. Kind of surprising that he actually remembers, considering it’s not something they talk about that much. Not the kind of thing he’d be interested in, either. “What reason would they have to confront you?”

“It’s… kind of complicated.” Ryuji rubs the back of his neck, trying to think of how to summarize the whole… thing. “Kamoshida used me as an excuse to disband the track team. So my old teammates kind of had it out for me. But I heard that their new coach was going to pull the same kind of manipulative shit Kamoshida did, and I got Akira to help me record some solid proof. After talking it out, I said they could punch me, just to get it all out of their system, and they did. It’s like, y’know… catharsis? I guess?”

The more he says, the more Yusuke looks... an unreadable kind of upset, which is exactly the opposite of what was supposed to happen.

“But it’s fine now,” Ryuji says lightly, trying to give some kind of carefree vibe, hoping it rubs off on Yusuke.

It doesn’t. “You went out of your way to prevent what would’ve no doubt led to some amount of interpersonal catastrophe, I fail to see why that warrants violence.”

“With this, everything’s even between us.”

“Is it?” Yusuke challenges, in a tone that signals obvious disagreement. “Have they apologized to you, then?”

“Apologized?” Ryuji asks, completely taken aback. “For what?”

“For being inadequate teammates. For not supporting you, even though you suffered as well. For using you as a scapegoat for the actions of an adult with full autonomy of his cruel misconduct. For doing so a second time, despite your purposeful involvement to save them from future grief.” Yusuke fixes Ryuji in some kind of intense stare, a slow-burning fury now written clear as day across his face. It's... weird, how strong he feels on Ryuji's behalf. Or, it's just not something Ryuji's used to, and he's not sure how to handle it. “I can’t pretend to know the exact circumstances of this situation," Yusuke continues, "but why is this consideration your sole burden to bear? Where is the empathy _you_ are owed?”

“’Owed’?” Ryuji repeats. “I’m not sure about that. They've got every right to be mad at me.”

“It was Kamoshida’s fault. You know this.”

“Of course I know, but I didn’t have to take the whole team down with me!” Ryuji doesn’t realize how loud he is until the rest of the shop falls silent. He’s also halfway out of his chair. It's a distant kind of realization, and he feels... well, 'tired' probably covers it. He sits back down. “Kamoshida made it so they didn’t have a place to belong, and I helped him do that because I couldn’t keep my effin’ temper. Of course they’d be mad.”

“Ryuji…” Yusuke reaches out, putting a hand over Ryuji’s clenched fist. “The fact that you care so deeply about others is an admirable trait. Still, you deserve so much more than casting yourself as an intermediary between someone else’s recovery, especially if you’re doing so at your own expense. Their pain doesn’t negate your own.”

“You don’t have to make it dramatic. I just…” Ryuji huffs out a breath, tries to let out all the tension that’s suddenly taken hold of him. His bruises throb. His leg throbs. “I know when I have to take a hit.”

“That’s a terrible thing to know.”

“Yeah.” He laughs, low and bitter. “Maybe it is.”


End file.
